Worth a Thousand Words
by ImmaSlytherout
Summary: A picture is worth a thousand words, and this one is worth all and more. (Klangst with a happy ending)


Silence dripped like venom through the cracks of the heavy breathing coming from both men. Keith on one side of the room, Lance on the other. Lance's hair was ruffled, most likely due to the fact that he had been practically trying to rip his hair from his head. No, scratch that. He _had_ been trying to rip his hair out. Keith's heart hammered against his chest as he took quiet, shallow breaths that burned his lungs. Anger coursed through the both of them like a flowing river, their words hanging out in the open for them dry in the moments that it mattered most.

They had been fighting for hours; what had caused this particular fight was unknown between them, but this was far from the first fight they had. Oh no, they fought often, sometimes once a week, sometimes more. Their friends liked to joke that their whole relationship was based on fighting and that it was all they did; how familiar and true this "joke" seemed now. it started off small, innocent; they had walked through the door to their shared apartment, coming back from dinner, when Lance made a remark about how Keith had been flirting with the waiter at the restaurant as he laid his coat over the back of the couch. Though Lance said it in a joking tone, Keith could feel the unspoken malice radiating off from his boyfriend and, in a surging fit of anger that his lover could stand there and accuse him not for the first time of flirting with someone else when he himself was the flirtier one of the two, had made the decision to push the comment, turning it into a full on fight.

The fight was epic. Screaming, finger pointing, accusations thrown from both sides. They brought up past issues, ones that had been suppressed from an earlier fight that had ended with angry sex instead of actually dealing with the problem. They brought up solved issues, and issues that had nothing to do with them as a couple. Anger filled both of them to the brim, to the point where Keith could hardly breathe and Lance was shaking, his hands clenching and unclenching, as though he was trying his damnest not to strike the other man.

So silence hung between them. Their words hovered in the air above them, not sure whether or not they were to be addressed or ignored until another fight broke out. It was Lance who decided for them.

"I'm going to spend the night at Hunk's, I can't even _look_ at you right now."

Lance stomped around Keith and slammed the door behind him, making the framed picture of the two of them making faces at the camera jump off the wall and crash to the floor. It was the sound of shattering glass that woke Keith from the anger haze that had been conceling his mind. His anger slowly melted away and regret took its place, making him cold where he once burned. He knew that this fight was more than just a fight; no matter how bad a fight had gotten before, Lance had never taken off. Neither of them did. They usually stayed in the same room, going around the same circle before someone ended the cycle, whether by solving the problem or jumping the other's bones, initiating hot, angry hate sex that left both of them satisfied and happy until the next fight broke out.

But never before had they left.

Keith slowly walked over to the broken picture and picked it up, ignoring the broken glass to examine the picture; it had been taken three years ago, when they first began dating. Lance had taken Keith as his date to his sister's wedding, and at her wedding they had a small photo booth area with props and a photographer. Lance had wrapped a red feather boa around Keith's neck and placed an awful plastic, pink cheetah print hat over Keith's mullet before putting on a huge pair of star sunglasses and a blue fuzzy boa around his neck. His arm had been slung around Keith's shoulder, holding Keith tightly to him as he pulled the other side of his cheek with his free finger, crossing his eyes. Keith had puckered his lips in an obnoxious kissy face, his head bending into Lance's neck as one arm was wrapped around Lance's waist, pulling him closer, the other hand making an awful peace sign. Looking at the photo made Keith smile, as he thought about how _happy_ he seemed to be with Lance; it was so obvious in their body language, from three years ago at the beginnings of their relationship just how _in love_ they were. Whether it was in Lance's arm around Keith's shoulder, his hand nearly cupping his breast, Keith's head almost tucked underneath's Lance's chin, or even in the way Keith's fingers were splayed possessively on Lance's hip, as though telling the whole world _back off, he's MINE._

Water droplets fell onto the photograph and Keith soon realized he was crying, as he reached up to touch his face and felt the wet tears on his cheeks. He put the photo on the ground and looked around their apartment, taking in the hundreds of photos he had seen, but never truly looked at before. On the shoe case by the front door was another picture of him and Lance, Lance's eyes closed and mouth wide open in a huge grin as his arm was around Keith's shoulder, Keith looking at him with a small smile on his face, a light blush dusting across his nose. It had been taken a week after Lance asked Keith out and they made it official that they were an item. On the kitchen counter top, there were three pictures; one was of Keith, his eyes closed and a peaceful smile on his face as he laid his head on Lance's lap. The second was of Lance, his head turned sideways as he sat on the bleachers at their college's football stadium, his eyes closed and his mouth in the cheesiest grin. The third was of Lance and their friend Pidge; Lance had his arm on Pidge's head, one leg crossed behind him as Pidge stared into the camera, unamused but a hint of affection in their eyes.

On the mantel in the living room was a strip of photos taken in a photo booth; one was of the two of them making faces at the camera, the second they were grinning and had bunny ears behind both of them, the third was just them staring into each other's eyes lovingly. A picture of Keith with his arms crossed, looking off to the side while Lance grinned, his arm around Keith's shoulder, his grin looking pained.

A picture of them locked in an passionate kiss.

There were so many pictures, covering the whole house. Everywhere Keith looked, he found Lance's face; some smiling, some laughing, some making ridiculous faces. But they were all Lance, and they were all there, right there, so close and yet so far away from Keith's embrace. Keith fell to the floor and clutched his chest, full on sobbing now. All Keith could think about was the angry look in Lance's eyes, the ugly words that left Keith's mouth, directed at _Lance_ , his Lance. How underneath the anger Keith had hurt Lance, really hurt Lance, and there was a possibility that he could never come back from this one. Lance had _left_ , and Keith didn't know what that meant.

Was this the end for them? Did Lance want to break up, after all the shit the two had put each other through? Could Keith even start over again with his other half to keep him sane, to keep him whole, to be... well, him? Keith didn't think so; in fact, the thought of never seeing that beautiful smile again, the thought of never kissing those lips or laughing at those horrible jokes made Keith cry harder. He realized what a piece of shit he was. He realized that Lance was his everything, and he didn't want to lose him.

But was it too late?

With a shaky hand, Keith reached into his pocket and took out his phone, dialing his best friend's phone number by heart and hoped for the best that he would pick up and that maybe, just maybe, his friend could understand him.

"Shiro? I fucked up..."

 **x.x.x**

Shiro slowed the car to a halt, throwing it into park before turning to Keith, who was staring out the passenger window at the small house. His stomach was in his throat and Keith felt like he was either going to cry, vomit, or both at the same time. Shiro glanced over at his best friend and mentally tsked at the way Keith was trembling; it was just his boyfriend, but by the way Keith was acting, you would have thought he was about to face Hitler himself.

"Go on Keith. He'll understand."

Keith turned to look at his best friend, and with his tear stained face illuminated by the moon light, Shiro's heart broke all over again. Keith had been a mess when he had called him, blubbering in such a way that Shiro hadn't even understood a single word he said. The only thing he could make out (after several guesses) was that Keith's crying had something to do with Lance. So Shiro pulled himself away from his girlfriend's arms and drove to Keith's apartment. When he got there, he saw Keith curled up into a ball, sobbing his eyes out, broken glass on the floor, and blood seeping from Keith's cut hands. It had taken Shiro a good half hour to calm Keith down enough to explain what had happened (before he burst into tears again). Shiro had never seen Keith so distraught, nor cry so much in one sitting at this level, so Shiro knew immediately that this was bad, so very bad. So, he did what Shiro did best.

He became a dad.

He made Keith a cup of warm tea and sternly told him to drink it completely. As Keith did so, Shiro went and cleaned up the broken glass before finding their first aid kit (after finding the pathetic kit and giving Keith a good scolding on the importance of a proper kit) and bandaging up Keith's cut hands, hands he didn't even realize he had hurt. The two talked for a good hour before Shiro stood up and declared that they were going to Hunk's house and were going to win Lance back.

Shiro watched Keith now, as exhausted and pathetic as he looked and gave him an encouraging smile. Keith's lips twitched in response before he finally opened the car door and stepped out into the cool November night. He immediately thought to the coat Lance had left on the couch and felt a flicker of an emotion; love, anger, maybe both, at the fact his love left their house on a cold night in nothing but jeans and a short sleeved shirt. He shuffled to the front door slowly before pausing, trying to collect his thoughts.

He knocked.

It took a couple seconds, but soon the door opened to reveal Hunk, in his huge glory. His face fell when he saw Keith and he looked back behind him nervously. "Dude, what are you doing here? Lance does _not_ want to see you right now." Keith felt his throat swell up and he swallowed thickly, feeling his tears build in his eyes again. "I know Hunk, but please, I have to see him." Pidge came to the door behind Hunk, spotting Keith. A look of hatred flashed in their eyes behind their glasses before they crossed their arms over their chest.

"What are you doing here Keith."

If the November air didn't make Keith cold, Pidge's tone of voice definitely did. He had forgotten how close Pidge and Lance were, and how they were fiercely protective of the older boy. He had also forgotten about Hunk and Pidge's relationship and how they were living together; damn, he really was a bad friend.

"Pidge, please, I have to see him."

What it was in that simple sentence that made Pidge feel sorry for Keith, they didn't know. Maybe it was the way his voice broke on please, or maybe it was how the tears in Keith's eyes slowly spilled onto his cheeks.

Maybe it was how Keith looked just as pathetic as Lance.

"Okay."

Pidge said suddenly, surprising both Keith and Hunk; Keith thought that it would have been Hunk who would have readily agreed and Pidge that would need convincing, but here it seemed that if Pidge said it was okay, then it was okay.

"I'll go get him."

Pidge turned and left, leaving Keith and Hunk to stand there awkwardly. It didn't take long for Pidge to return, with Lance trailing behind them, and once Hunk caught eye of his love, he made them go back into the house, closing the door behind them to give the two boys some privacy. Lance stood by the door, not looking at Keith as he crossed his arms over his chest, his dark skin contrasting against the melting snow that had fallen two days prior.

"What do you want."

Lance asked, his voice sounding harsh, as though he had been crying for quite some time. Seeing the love of his life stand there, his arms crossed against the cold and his voice raw from the tears _he_ caused made Keith's heart break all over again. Keith shrugged out of his red leather jacket before holding it out to Lance.

"Here; you're cold."

Lance looked at the coat as though it had personally offended him before hesitantly taking it, slipping it on. As much as he didn't want to, Lance had to admit that the jacket was warm and smelled like Keith,a scent he wanted to hate.

"Again I ask, what do you want?"

Keith swallowed, feeling his tears flood his eyes again.

"Lance, I _love_ you. I love you so damn much, and yet, here you are, standing in front of me so broken, so hurt _because_ of me and all I can say is _I'm SORRY._ I know you don't think that I'm trying, I know you're wearing thin down to the core, but all I want to do is show you that I love you, so very deeply, and I want to spend the rest of my life telling you I'm sorry. I don't want to lose you, for you are my everything and my always and I'm yours to keep if you want me."

"I don't want us to spend another minute apart. I don't care if we're fighting, if we're kissing, or if we're having sex, because I would willingly do all those things if it meant I could do it with you. I don't want to do anything if it's not with you, I don't want to _breathe_ if it meant having to go the rest of my life without you because you complete me, Lance McClain. You are my everything and my nothing, and I sure as hell know that I don't want anything if I can't have you. My life is yours to use, to kill, to love. Anything you do, I will do for you. Anything you need, I will be. You're my soul mate, my significant other, my other half, my red string, my best friend, my muse, my heart, my soul, my everything."

Keith let out a laugh, tears spilling down as his face as he began to ramble, unable to stop once he had begun.

"I am so _madly_ in love with you. I love every single one of our fights, because it's you I'm fighting with. I love every one of your freckles, I love how your nose scrunches up when you laugh, I love how your eyes speak a thousand words. I love how you make terrible puns, I love that you love your friends so dearly, I love when you call me mullet head, I love how Pidge looks at you like you're god. I love your smile, your laugh, your beautiful blue eyes, I love it when you say my name, whether it be in casual conversation or when you moan it during sex. I love how when you get angry, you start sputtering your words like your mind is coming up with too many sentences and your mouth can't keep up. I love how you always sling your arm around my shoulders, I love how you kiss the back of my neck, I love that mole on your left hip. I love how you give me massages when my back hurts, or make me soup when I'm sick, I love how you talk in Spanish."

Keith paused to take a breath, his eyes drinking in the astonished look Lance was giving him. It made Keith want to laugh, but he just couldn't yet.

"I guess what I'm trying to say is that _I am madly in love with you,_ I want to be by your side forever. I know, I am an asshole, the scum of the earth, the worst thing that ever existed; but I am an asshole who is so sorry that I hurt you and I promise that I will never say those things about you ever again. But the truth is, that I will never find anyone like you ever again, because there is no one I would ever want but you."

Keith dug into his jean pocket and pulled out a picture, one of Keith's favorites; it was a selfie, taken by Lance. Lance had been holding the phone at a slight angle, his free arm around Keith's shoulders and both of Keith's arms around Lance's waist. Keith's face held a look of shock and adoration, because right before Lance had taken the picture, it was the first time he said "I love you." Now, Keith walked closer to Lance and shoved the picture against Lance's chest, feeling his world's heart beat against his palm.

"A picture is worth a thousand words and these are ones I couldn't say to you."

Finally, Keith stopped talking. He stood there, still pressing the picture against Lance's chest, crying silent tears as he stared holes into the ground. It was quiet, the only sound was the soft hum of Shiro's car and the porch light that was on, and Keith focused on the small clouds of smoke that came from his breath.

" _Why didn't you say this before!?_ "

Keith looked up at Lance's outburst and saw tears overflowing Lance's eyes, spilling down his cheeks and dripping onto the floor. Keith's eyes widened as Lance grabbed the wrist that was still pressed to his chest.

"I love you too idiot! I thought you hated me! I thought that you were only with me because you were obligated to, after meeting our friends! After today's fight, I thought I'd never see you again! Of course I'm madly in love with you! _I have been since the beginning_."

Keith couldn't help it; he laughed. No, he cackled. His laughter filled the night air and echoed off the surrounding houses. The sound of it made Lance's tears stop slowing and his eyes grow wide, as he had never seen Keith laugh like this before. "What's so funny?" He asked, confused and a tad bit scared. Keith wiped his tears from his eyes, calming in his laughter.

"My love, I could never leave you."

Keith explained. Lane felt his tears growing in his eyes again and he soon yanked Keith close, sealing in a kiss of a lifetime.

 **Hey everyone!**

 **Okay, so first of all... wow. I've never written like this for a fanfic, and honestly, this all just flowed so nicely in my head and I am in love. I love it. Klance is my life, I accept this fate.**

 **Also, I ship Pidge and Hunk, though I fully believe that Pidge is ace. and trans. But here, I made them nonbinary, because I feel like that fits the most. And Pidge and Lance have a total brotp going on, I fully believe that.**

 **Anyways, if you liked this PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE leave a review and let me know what you thought! I'd love to hear your thoughts on this. Be sure to favorite it as well if you liked it!**

 **I'll see you all in Old Scars, Future Hearts, so until next time!**

 **Much love and stuff,**

 **-ImmaSlytherout**


End file.
